The origins of Irish coffee date back to the 1940s when, after a weather delay in Foynes, Ireland, the airport chef, Joe Sheridan, prepared for the weary passengers a blend of coffee and whiskey with sugar and whipped cream. The delicious concoction provoked such a reaction among the passengers that word soon spread and its popularity rippled throughout the world.
As always, recipes vary depending on who makes them, but we’d like to share with you a simple way to prepare this drink, one that will please the palate and comfort the soul in less than ten minutes.
Ingredients
To prepare Irish coffee you will need:
- 1 cappuccino glass
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 150 ml cold brew or strong hot coffee
- 50 ml whiskey of your choice
For the homemade whipped cream:
- 250 ml whipping cream
- 3 teaspoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Steps
- To begin, make the whipping cream. Using either with a whisk or an electric milk frother, lightly whip the cream together with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it thickens, though remains liquid enough to be poured into a glass.
- Set in the freezer for 5 minutes while you prepare the second part of the recipe.
- Make the coffee and temper the cappuccino glass with hot water for a few seconds. You can use any glass or cup or mug you like, but a transparent one will be more aesthetically pleasing.
- Add the two tablespoons of brown sugar and pour in very hot coffee.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, add the whiskey.
- Using the back of a spoon as a buffer, pour the cream in such a way that it does not mix with the coffee. Do not stir. Serve immediately. Enjoy the sweet and cold sensation of the whipped cream first before being comforted by the warmth of fortified coffee.
Hopefully you will enjoy this drink enough to surprise your guests with their very own. Here is a clip of a bartender who can make nine in one go.
